an ode to my influences: iimini
I think it was 2020 when my friends and I went to watch Bongeziwe Mabandla at The Wave Theatre eTown. We were obsessed with the album and it was my first time seeing him live. Something in me shifted that night.
After the show we queued for a signature. I bought the vinyl even though I didn’t have a record player. I still don’t. I just needed something physical that could hold the weight of that moment.
Six years later that same album is still with me and I’m finishing mine.
I get booked in East London and I’m sharing a lineup with Bongeziwe. I lose my mind. It’s a career highlight but also something softer and more personal. It felt like a quiet full circle.
While making this album I built a playlist called Songs That Changed How I Think and shared it with everyone I was creating the album with. So many artists and experiences shaped this project. I left iimini off on purpose because I didn’t want to imitate it but the influence found me anyway.
You’ll hear it in the guitars, in the honesty, in the way real life sits inside the songs.
The first time I felt something like that was in Grade 11 at a camp eLebone II - College of The Royal Bafokeng. I watched Afurukan (Bhut’ Thabiso Mohare) perform spoken word and I had never seen anything like it. It moved me in a way I didn’t yet have language for.
That feeling of being changed is what I’ve been chasing ever since. That feeling made me pursue this work, Polymorphism.
My album comes out in 10 days and it carries all of these moments with it.
Pre-Save it on the link in my bio.
Until then ❤️
📸: @jojosph0tos
This June Kuzobamnandi, As we welcome @internetathi to the June n Jazz 003 — bringing warmth, and his pure musical genius to give us an unforgettable live experience.
Gallery on Produce
6 June
June n Jazz
Limited tickets Available on Quicket (link on bio).
#JuneNJazz #InternetAthi #LiveJazz #SoulMusic #JazzExperience
Artistry Live presents Internet Athi
One of the most exciting new voices emerging from South Africa’s alternative and jazz landscape.
Hailing from Cape Town, Internet Athi blends South African jazz, neo-soul, R&B, and Black improvised music into a sound that feels deeply soulful, intimate, and refreshing. Known for his captivating live performances and honest storytelling, this is an evening of music, connection, and pure expression you don’t want to miss.
Brought to you by @houseofjcleroux
Tickets available via link in bio.
@applemusic editors, thank you for highlighting my debut tape, Polymorphism, and for featuring Mna on 3 of your editorial playlists. It’s been a few weeks of the album out and the reception has been beyond heartwarming.
Keep spinning the tape and I’ll see you all outside soon! ❤️🔥
This is Internet Athi. He’s the most humble superstar you’ve ever met.
In 2023 he entrusted us with the recording of his debut single ‘Wena’, which has gone on to become the highest-streaming song we’ve ever recorded, with over 2m plays across platforms (for good reason!). In 2025, he brought his band to the studio to produce his debut album ‘Polymorphism’, which was released on the 27th of April.
We have deeply enjoyed the process of working with Athi on this project. He is a creative storyteller and songwriter with a clear vision for his music, but he is also an open-minded and generous collaborator who respects all ideas and truly listens to everyone’s contributions. His band is made up of many talented individuals who are each able to bring their unique flare while still serving the music, and Athi’s thoughtful and receptive approach has allowed the project to reflect both a solo artist’s vision and a cohesive band’s sound.
This project means so much to us. We’ve spent hours going over horn lines, voice notes, delayscapes, violin layers and vocal harmonies, and we are so proud of the results. We’re so grateful to Athi for trusting us with the process, and so happy that the project is now yours to hear.
Go find Polymorphism on all streaming platforms now!
Introducing Internet Athi — one of the most exciting new voices emerging from South Africa’s alternative and jazz landscape.
Based in Cape Town, Internet Athi creates music that exists beautifully between South African jazz, neo-soul, R&B, and Black improvised music. His sound is deeply personal yet universally felt — nostalgic, spiritual, contemporary, and emotionally rich. Through songwriting, he explores identity, love, grief, faith, and human connection with a softness and honesty that is quickly establishing him as one of the country’s most compelling young artists.
Over the past few years, Internet Athi has steadily built a reputation as a powerful live performer, sharing stages with artists and collectives such as the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Langa Mavuso, Jimmy Nevis, The Brother Moves On, and Kujenga — while cultivating a growing community around his work through live performance and digital storytelling.
His breakout single Wena introduced many listeners to his world and has since surpassed major streaming milestones, helping position him as part of the new youth vanguard reshaping South African jazz and soul music. Now, the timing of his appearance at Afrodiaspora Connection 2026 feels especially significant as he steps into a new chapter with the release of his debut album, Polymorphism — a deeply conceptual body of work exploring the many forms of love, identity, and selfhood.
The project blends neo-jazz, soul, R&B, and African musical traditions into a sound that feels both intimate and future-facing. Early singles including Wena, Nguwe, and Undithembisile have already positioned the project as one of the most exciting independent releases emerging from South Africa’s alternative music scene.
Catch Internet Athi live at Afrodiaspora Connection 2026:
📍 Youngblood Arts and Culture Development Foundation — 23 May 2026
📍 Soweto Equestrian Centre — 31 May 2026
POLYMORPHISM IS OUT NOW!! Please sit with this one from @internetathi dear friends 💫
These are some outtakes with Mr Cetyana from time that has flown by ✨
Getting to know Athi in moments off the stage, in the crowds of our favourite bands and on the football pitch has been a blessing — and getting him in front of the camera has been a joy.
I’ve always been struck by Athi’s everlasting thoughtfulness and his ways of honouring others. That level of acknowledgment, appreciation, and care — for those near and far — with this endearing tone of gratitude for all the ways in which time [songs], gifts, words, encouragement and light has been shared. With that being said, his music has often reminded me of Aja Monet’s work which often weaves wonder into words around how poems are offered as tools/mediums/expressions of care for us to *see* us. To which ‘Polymorphism’ is a poem that definitely does what it needs to do. And to know you, as a friend, is to know that we do indeed contain multitudes – there are worlds within. Camagu, truly.
Styling: @esethusosibo@ndyebo.jpg // @artclubandfriends
INTERNET ATHI (SA)
A new wave of sound rises. Internet Athi brings fresh perspective, bold creativity and a genre-fluid approach that reflects the evolving voice of a new generation. This is where tomorrow begins.
#jazzreignited #TakeMeThere #StandardBankJoyOfJazz #sbjoj2026
![POLYMORPHISM IS OUT NOW!! Please sit with this one from @internetathi dear friends These are some outtakes with Mr Cetyana from time that has flown by Getting to know Athi in moments off the stage, in the crowds of our favourite bands and on the football pitch has been a blessing — and getting him in front of the camera has been a joy.I’ve always been struck by Athi’s everlasting thoughtfulness and his ways of honouring others. That level of acknowledgment, appreciation, and care — for those near and far — with this endearing tone of gratitude for all the ways in which time [songs], gifts, words, encouragement and light has been shared. With that being said, his music has often reminded me of Aja Monet’s work which often weaves wonder into words around how poems are offered as tools/mediums/expressions of care for us to *see* us. To which ‘Polymorphism’ is a poem that definitely does what it needs to do. And to know you, as a friend, is to know that we do indeed contain multitudes – there are worlds within. Camagu, truly.Styling: @esethusosibo @ndyebo.jpg // @artclubandfriends](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6739531917433149672343_0_a868385898f99435c97c4313441e3edb.jpg?o=aHR0cHM6Ly9zY29udGVudC1ob3UxLTEuY2RuaW5zdGFncmFtLmNvbS92L3Q1MS44Mjc4Ny0xNS82ODE1NTc1ODJfMTg1ODM3MDY1MzAwMjU1MjJfMjUwMDkwODEwMDY0ODUyODkxMF9uLmpwZz9zdHA9YzAuMTc5LjE0NDAuMTQ0MGFfZHN0LWpwZ19lMzVfczY0MHg2NDBfc2gyLjA4X3R0NiZfbmNfaHQ9c2NvbnRlbnQtaG91MS0xLmNkbmluc3RhZ3JhbS5jb20mX25jX2NhdD0xMDImX25jX29jPVE2Y1oyZ0hZcVRsVUltLW43bUt4WmJuNll1d3JuMFE0ZUZxR21GaHRvTGR3X2ZWVFZWVm1IQ1I0NHJndXZHdWtZbGdOTC1ydEtzWGpBbkI5Y3BXSGFVOVJqYXIxJl9uY19vaGM9TFhnaXlKOU5jZjRRN2tOdndGZmg3dTImX25jX2dpZD0wMXNRTG1uYTBiSlVfalFtcVAxRW53JmVkbT1BUFU4OUZBQkFBQUEmY2NiPTctNSZvaD0wMF9BZjVGelV1VzJEWXNZZlZNZDFLeWtXMHFsYkNSMlI2T2pxNV9NQ3FDc044YlZnJm9lPTZBMEVDNTc2Jl9uY19zaWQ9YmMwYzJj&h=cedd1c9415079642fae0117231c678b8)
